Fool for Money, Fool for Love
by miekhead
Summary: Maura and Jane attempt to solve the case of a young woman whose body was found in her apartment. As Maura and Jane become more comfortable around each other, the unsolved case threatens to tear them apart.
1. Chapter 1

It was a pretty hot day, nearly reaching the 80s in Massachusetts. After receiving a call from a distraught girlfriend of a woman, the Boston Homicide team entered an apartment in lower Somerville to find a woman's body, lying in the bathroom in her nightgown.

"Name?" Jane Rizzoli asked to Korsak who had just been informed of the situation.

"Vanessa Colt," he said gravely. "29, owns one of those hippy stores on Union Square. Her girlfriend informed the police today, she hadn't been able to get hold of her for a day. Suspicious?"

Maura peered at the body and noticed the extreme paleness of the corpse. Twenty-Nine. Far too young. "Any pill bottles around? Alcohol?"

Frost appeared from the living room. "Not that I can see… everything's pretty clean. No sign of forced entry."

"Notice the rash on her hands, her elbows? Looks angry… would have been very painful" Maura frowned. "Recent…"

"What are you saying?" Jane bent down and touched Maura's shoulder.

"I'm saying this seems to be a one time thing… no scarring, no retracting rash. It was sudden." She noticed the woman's mouth incredibly dry. "We'll look at it further at the lab. Something's not adding up." The medical examiner admitted and felt a comforting tap on her back from her co-worker before her friend got up to look over the rest of the apartment.

Three hours had passed and soon, the relevant background information was discovered about Vanessa Colt. "Jane? Come look at this," Maura's gentle tone brought the dark haired woman out from her musings.

Jane frowned and nodded as she hopped up and followed the medical examiner into the lab, looking at the dead girl on the table.

"Anything yet?" Jane grumbled. It was 7pm and the longer time went on, the less they were getting done and more importantly, the more tired she was getting.

"I don't see any sign of struggle, any signs of asphyxiation." Maura held her hand up, knowing Jane was about to bite. "But… But look at this," she turned the body slightly to reveal pock marks displayed over the woman's left buttock.

"Injections? Wha…what does that mean?"

Maura shrugged. "If this were any other place, she could have been self-injecting."

"But this was too hard to reach, she was right handed." Jane countered, leaning closer to stare at the marks, displayed around the skin like a hexagonal star. There must have been about 17.

"Exactly… So it looks like she was helped. Her blood sugars were fine, and there were no new entry marks."

"So we're ruling out diabetes… How about HCG levels?"

Maura shrugged. "Levels were low. Reproductive organs all fine. Healthy infact."

"Robust?" Jane smirked and watched her friend roll her eyes. "Anything else?" She tried to work things around her head.

"Slight swell of the abdomen, but stomach relatively empty. Bowels and anus show distinct sign of diarrhea."

Jane had to process what she thought she'd just heard. "Ewww ewwww!" she waved her arms around and paced around the table in disgust.

Maura's tongue slid inside her cheek as she smirked. "You did ask."

"Why do I even bother?" Jane sat down with a huff and shuddered. "Her MD said she suffered with bipolar… apparently she relapsed sporadically, though he said she hadn't been to seen him in about three months. Would that be anything?"

Maura's face contorted, a sign that Jane usually took as her 'thinking face' and began pointing her finger at the detective. "Yes. It could be." They were interrupted when a lab technician came through with an envelope. "Thank you," Maura smiled politely and scrambled slightly to get the results open. "Aha!"

Jane blinked, attempting to hide the admiring smile as she watched her colleague hop up and down. "What have you got?"

"At the moment the toxicology outcome is very basic," she excused. " I'll get the rest of the results tomorrow hopefully."

"Okay, okay… And? What was with the big hoo-ha exclamation?" Jane asked irritably.

"Risperidone," Maura chirped. "It's an atypical antipsychotic… Though it's usually administered orally, it can also be injected intramuscularly." She wore that smile, the one oozing quiet pride of herself and self-assurance.

Jane nearly smiled, then frowned. "Hold up, Vanessa wasn't being prescribed for anything. Dr Kinsman said she'd been fine for a while… Blackmarket?"

"I couldn't be sure, but my estimate says no." Maura shook her head.

"Estimate?" Jane quirked an eyebrow, letting out an amused smirk. "Is that your new word for guess?"

"I don't guess," Maura batted her eyelashes.

"No… you don't." Jane huffed. "You just estimate," she chuckled. "I'll call in the girlfriend, see if we can get anywhere else for tonight."

Maura nodded and continued to look over the first set toxicology results, hoping the rest would come soon. She heard Jane leave and flopped down onto her chair, "Missing something… what am I missing?" She rolled her head back to look at the ceiling as she processed her thoughts.

Jane looked at the snivelling woman in front of her and sighed. "Miss. Lu, where were you at the time of your girlfriend's death?"

"Alex…," she introduced herself. "I was… I was at home," the Asian woman rubbed her eyes sadly with her fist. "I… she told me to go home, said she wasn't feeling up to company."

"What time did she tell you to go home?" The detective put on her sympathy face. It usually worked and calmed them down but this chick would not stop crying.

"Umm… about 4pm? I got home about 4.30."

"Okay, alright…" Jane soothed. "And when did you last speak to her then?"

"Just then… I went home and let her cool off. It's been hard since the trials… I wanted her to stop."

"Trials? She was doing medical trials? We found risperidone in her bloodstream…"

Alex nodded. "She… I noticed some changes in her… I mean she'd be fine, and then near the end of the two weeks she'd be completely insane, shouting at me all the time."

"Was she getting paid for it?" Jane asked gently. She was getting little clues from this woman. She wasn't the killer…or so she estimated.

"Yeah…" Alex squirmed in her seat. "She just got paid the lump sum of $5000 dollars three days ago."

Jane shared a glance with Frost. "Alright… can you think of anything… anyone who may have wanted her dead?"

The 'd' word set Alex off again and she crossed her arms, sobbing down onto the table. Jane winced and looked at Frost who shrugged. Hesitantly, she reached out and laid her hand on the grieving woman's wrist. After a further minute, Alex had calmed down and looked up with a red face. "Her father, he's a recovering alcoholic. He's the only one I can think of."

"We tried to contact him before… There was no answer at his address. Do you know where he lives?" The detective asked gently.

"I haven't seen him for a long time," Alex frowned. "I don't think Ness did either, unless she was contacting him behind my back. Last I saw he was living in a squat on Bernard St, Dorchester?"

"You know the address?" Jane asked. The upset woman nodded hesitantly, and was asked to write down the number. "Alright," Jane soothed, giving the woman's wrist a squeeze. "We'll find who did it. You can count on us."

An hour later, after much struggling, the homicide team had brought Mr. Colt into questioning, kicking and screaming. He struggled in his cuffs and was finally sat down in a chair, huffing at Jane a little woozily.

"Mr. Colt, do you know why you've been arrested?" she was a little confused at his behaviour as he tried to hold his head up.

"I stole a crate of beer?" The man mumbled.

Jane's eyes nearly crossed and she looked up and she stared at Frost. "You stole beer…" she intoned with disbelief. "You stole beer? What, tonight?"

"You gonna lock me up?"

"Don't know yet, you gonna tell the truth?" Jane responded. "Where were you on the night of your daughter's death, Mr. Colt."

"My daught…" The man had slumped in his chair and looked at the cop blearily. "My daughter's dead?"

Jane's mouth widened. This was just getting more and more ridiculous. "M…Mr. Colt we told you why you're here. Your daughter was found dead yesterday in her flat." The man looked crestfallen in his drunken state and she tried to understand. "Sir, we told you half an hour ago." His face didn't change and Jane was getting fed up. She wanted to go home, get a few beers in and have a movie night with Maura. "How much alcohol have you consumed, Mr. Colt."

"I stole a crate of beer," he repeated with a pointed look. His eyes were empty and he stared down at the cuffs in dismay. Jane rolled her eyes and stood up hastily, getting visibly annoyed. "Tell me what happened." He begged.

"We thought you'd like to tell us," Barry said, looking in distaste at the man.

"You," Colt pointed at Frost with his hands, still shackled in their cuffs. "think I killed my daughter? My own family? My… My only family." He began to blubber, stumbling as he sat down again and thumped the table. Frost inwardly groaned as the situation suddenly got a whole lot more complicated.

Jane shared the look of sympathy with her colleague and stood up. "Take him away, we'll continue the questioning when he's sobered up." The officer stood in the corner nodded and took the man away to lock him back up as Frost and Rizzoli looked at each other in disbelief. "This just got…stupid," Jane whined.

"You're telling me," they walked back into where Korsak was sat, looking over some papers. "What do you think?"

Korsak groaned. "I think we're not gonna get anywhere without some more evidence." He sighed, "Got the clinic where Vanessa was doing her trials. She was at BCT."

"BCT…" Jane processed the information. "So we'll go down tomorrow, find out some more about the trials….and then? We have no leads!"

"Ants in the pants, Rizzoli?" Korsak chuckled.

"I'm tired," the woman grumbled.

Vince nodded and looked over the woman's medical reports. "Time to call it a night… Maura still here?"

Jane nodded wearily. "Waiting for me out back…"

"Not anymore," the voice sighed and Jane smiled immediately turning round to see Maura holding a box of pizza and what seemed to be a pasta dish in a take-out box and bag in her other hand. "You were taking too long."

"Well sooorry," Jane mocked and grabbed her bag, looking forward to getting home, having some good food and a nice, if somewhat rushed sleep. "See you in the morning, guys." Jane rubbed her eyes.

"Will do, get some sleep." Korsak smiled, watching as Maura opened the door for the detective.

Maura waved goodbye, "We will." They disappeared out of the office.

Frost's eyes flashed, his mouth turning into a big grin, "Oh I bet they will…" He looked at Korsak who simply chuckled and shook his head in dismay at his coworker's immaturity.

"You don't really believe it, do you?" Vince asked suddenly as he was ready to leave.

Frost shrugged. "I don't know what to believe anymore…" He shook his head and grabbed his keys from his desk before both men left to go to the respective homes.

Jane growled a little, finding that she couldn't pull her duvet around her for some reason, having woken up feeling cold. Turning, she saw Maura next to her, curled up and snoozing softly. "Oh you have to be kidding me," she moaned. "Maura…" Nothing, the other woman just mewled and snuggled closer. "Maura!" The dark haired growled and flopped back down on the bed in frustration. "Joe Friday… get her," Jane whispered and watched as the small dog hopped up onto the bed and began to happily lick Maura's face.

The medical examiner winced and then spluttered, wiping chin with the back of her hand. "Yuk! Get off, get off! Joe Friday, down!" The small dog worriedly jumped off the bed from Maura's batting hands and ran back to her basket.

"What are you doing in my bed?" Jane whined. "You steal the covers… Just, go home!"

Maura cleared her throat from its husk and rubbed at her eyes, sitting up with a pillow behind her back. "I was just resting my eyes."

"You stole my covers!" Jane rolled her eyes and looked at her friend's attire. "And you're in pajamas! Since when did you move into my house?"

"What, so I buy you dinner and I'm not allowed to crash?"

"Bu…" Jane groaned and lay back down. "Just go to sleep… and give me some of that duvet there…" She pinched some of the quilting, pulling the whole thing off of her friend with a giggle.

"Jane… play fair…"

"It's my bed," the detective squawked. She turned around to face the woman and cautiously offered some more bedding. "No stealing."

"Promise." Maura nodded and closed her eyes with a smirk. "Night, Jane."

"Goodnight, Maura…" Jane grumbled and rolled onto her back, unable to close her own eyes thanks to the unsolved case and the annoyingly geeky but beautiful woman in her bed.

TBC

Please review and tell me what you think :) All comments welcome!


	2. Chapter 2

The next day went slowly. By 1pm, eleven more people were questioned about the death of Vanessa Colt. Jane still wasn't getting anywhere with the father and discovered that he had no idea the young woman was taking part in the drugs trials.

Maura could only do so much to find out any clues from the corpse. This was the worst part. Waiting… just waiting for the toxicology results. Sometimes it only took hours, sometimes it took days. When it took days, Maura's ego was easily bruised. She looked over the corpse, finding the stomach enlarged. That could be anything. She huffed and peered closer, noticing darkening on the lining. Frowning, she took off her gloves and washed her hands thoroughly before getting out her phone.  
>"Rizzoli…" Jane sounded annoyed as she picked up the phone and Maura's breath halted slightly before she spoke.<p>

"Jane, it's me…" She looked at the body behind her. "Vanessa Colt's apartment, is it still being investigated?"

"Of course, you know that…" the detective frowned and walked out of one of the preparation rooms at BCT. "I think Harry and the team are down there now, why?"

"I need to go back there…" Maura explained. "We need to start breaking it down. Have they checked the trash? Anything she ate?"

"Ate? Why? What is it, Maura?" Jane pestered and in turn, Maura sighed.

"Whatever she ate or ingested is the cause of death. I can't tell what it was because her stomach was empty… The lining is damaged, I'm doing swabs but there's hardly anything on the stomach tissue. It's wasted… it all came up, or came out." She took a rushed breath, "tell forensics they need to swab _all_ of the bathroom utilities."

"You're saying she was poisoned."

Maura nodded, feeling as if she couldn't get clean enough. She held the phone with her shoulder and scrubbed harder on her hands. Weird. She hadn't felt this close to a case in a long while, and the sudden onset of symptoms of her usually well-hidden OCD worried her immensely.

"Maura?"

The medical examiner blinked and turned off the tap. "I was nodding. I believe she was poisoned. I'll see you later, send it out."

"Will do… Hey…"

"Yes?"

Jane pouted slightly at the woman's irritated, monosyllabic answers, looking at some freaky blonde smiling on a clinical trial poster. "You okay?"

"Fine…"

"'Kay," the detective wasn't swayed but she shrugged. "Stay safe, alright? See you later."

Maura looked at her shaking hands, wishing she knew what was making her so agitated. "Always…" She breathed and blotted her hands on some towel before hanging up the phone.

Jane had to admit, she couldn't get the last phone-call off of her mind. Having just paid a visit to Lizzie Hamish, Vanessa's co-worker, she ruled out yet another suspect. This woman was well loved. Really loved.

She stayed quiet in the car until Frost stopped at Washington St. traffic lights. He turned to look at the sulking woman. "Something you know that I don't, Rizzoli?" He kept an eye on the red light in front of them.

Jane scratched at her itchy palms with a grimace. "Something's got Maura spooked." She admitted and lay her head on the car window.

"To do with the case?" He asked. "Why? Just another victim, possibly poisoned."

"Probably poisoned, Frost" the Jane corrected him. "Probably."

Barry rolled his eyes and looked at the growling woman. "Jeez. You two syncing or something?"

Jane's eyes became stormy and she turned to him with a snarl, " It's green. Go, before I make you 'sync' from a completely different place altogether."

He cleared his throat and nodding with a heavy swallow, he put his foot down. "Sorry…" Jane shrugged and kept her eye on the road as she pondered this mysterious case. No suspect.

All questioned had very strong alibis. CCTV footage was taken of Tom Colt stealing his beloved beer. A webcam session had been recorded from Alex's mother's computer and dug up by the messenger service, showing Alex at home on her computer, the exact time Vanessa had died. Lizzie Hamish was seen at a restaurant with her boyfriend and had paid on her credit card. And the list went on. Vanessa had no siblings and her mother had passed five years ago. This was getting frustrating and more and more confusing.

Jane wandered through the autopsy lab and entered Maura's office with a knock. "Hey," her voice warmed when she saw the strawberry blonde with her head in her hands, staring at what seemed to be some test results on her desk.  
>Maura looked up wearily. "Tests aren't back yet."<p>

Her friend's behaviour worried her and the detective sat down with a deep breath. She put her own hand on her colleague's left. "That's alright… Give it time, you know how it is." Maura's face didn't change. She brought her voice down to soothe her best friend. "What's got you so freaked?"

"This… this whole thing. I'm supposed to know by now… the killer is still out there, and I'm missing something." she whispered. The medical examiner looked tired and rubbed her eyes.

"Anything from the apartment?"

Jane shrugged. "We got the swabs, no fingerprints, just Vanessa's. Droplets of vomit on the inside of the toilet bowl."

"And the trash?" Maura asked. "Anything in there?"

Jane saw the doctor was hurting and squeezed her friend's hand. "Nothing. Either she or the killer took the trash down that night. Gone by morning."

Maura stood up hastily, her eyes dark and tired. "Need to go back to the lab. I should be efficient enough do some basic toxicology myself. I can do it by myself."

"Maura… everybody's busy." The dark haired woman stressed in slight annoyance . "Everybody! This isn't the only case. Just go home… get some rest." Jane said. She frowned at Maura's hands quaking. "What's wrong? What's wrong with your hands?"

The ME stood up and dismissed the question with a flick of her hair. She grabbed her bag and began to walk towards the door.

"Maura…" Jane's voice broke. She watched as Maura opened the office door.

"What is it, Jane?"

"Want some company?"

Maura stopped and for a second Jane thought she heard a sniffle. "Please…" She looked towards the detective and came clean. "Jane, this woman is like me. Her build, her muscle structure. Nicely developed vastus internus. She jogged," the doctor clarified. "I could have been her." She wound herself up.

"Hey… hey," Jane walked towards her. "Come 'ere," the woman offered a hug. Maura stared, then sniffed louder and walked into her best friend's arms.

"What's wrong with me? Why can't I think clearly?" Maura asked quietly, resting her head on the tall woman's shoulder.

Jane growled protectively and held the smaller woman at arms length. "Listen to me, you are the best medical examiner I've ever worked with, okay? Frost's my partner, but when we work together, so are you." Jane watched Maura nod self-consciously. "Now come on… I was allowed to be grumpy yesterday, today's your turn." She kept her arm wrapped around her friend's shoulders. "My house or yours?"

"Mine," Maura mumbled. "I need to feed Bass."

"Alright…We'll stop off at mine first, bring Joe Friday." Jane nodded. "Indian or Chinese?"

"Chinese," Maura tittered a little shyly, feeling touched that Jane was trying so hard to cheer her up.

Jane opened the door to the friendly faced delivery boy, Joey who held their take-out in a paper bag. "Hey, Joe."

"Detective," he nodded at her. "Nice evening, huh?"

She looked at him, holding in the urge to roll her eyes. "Nice enough… Seen better. Here…" He looked at the bills thrust in his hand and bowed his head, dispirited at the brush off, the door closing inches away from his face.

"Jane," Maura admonished in disbelief as she towelled her long hair, wrapped in a dressing gown. "Give the guy a chance! He's so sweet."

"I don't find him attractive," Jane was finally allowed to roll her eyes and watched as her friend began to plate-up.

"He's kind enough to ask you out, the least you can do is not shove the door in his face." She sighed at her friend's inability to open her mind to new dates. "You know," Maura took a bite out of her egg roll before swallowing, "various studies have proved that after masturbating twice a day for a month, men and women can train themselves to become sexually attracted to people they initially found repulsive." Maura chuckled at Jane's wide eyes and tucked into her Singapore noodles. "You should try it some time."

"Maura!" Jane coughed. She could not believe they were even talking about this. The detective sighed, tucking into her spicy Szechuan beef noodles and took another swig of beer.

"What? It might benefit you greatly." Maura's eyes danced and she ate a few mouthfuls before sobering up a little. "Thanks, bye the way."

"For what?"

"Having faith in me. I was at an all time low. I umm…" She winced, wondering whether to tell her friend. Her head moved from side to side, almost as if she were weighing the pros and cons. "I suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder."

"You don't say…" Jane smirked, then saw Maura's serious eyes. "Oh…"

The medical examiner just closed her eyes and nodded. "Usually under control, you know? But today… it just got me. I may love working with dead people, but sometimes…," she gulped. "Sometimes my hands just can't get clean enough."

Jane looked down and saw the woman's hands slightly redder than normal. "I'm sorry, Maura."

"No, no!" Maura shook her head. "You got me out of my funk. It's you I need to thank." Their eyes caught for longer than needed before Jane became uncomfortable, feeling the whole room become hot suddenly.

Twenty minutes later, and the women were sat on top of Maura's bed, scouring through the medical examiner's laptop as they brought up some more names of possible suspects. Jane cleared her throat a few times, trying to get her sleepy brain to work.

Maura was about to ask a question when she looked up to see Jane's eyes closing, her hands rested peacefully on her belly. She smiled, watching as Jane's breathing deepened. Then it didn't. For some reason, the detective's chest rose and fell rapidly, raising faster and faster each time. Jane's eyes snapped open and she clutched at Maura's arms in terror.

"Ma…Mau… can't breathe," she wheezed. Maura frowned, then realized her colleague was serious and held the her hard at the forearms.

"Jane?"

"Can't brea… my chest. I can't breathe. Maur…Ca-" Jane's voice cut off, a harsh gasp emanating from her throat. Maura sat up desperately and rolled the woman over to get her off her back.

Maura grabbed her phone and dialled through to Boston headquarters. "I need an ambulance," she held Jane's airways open and put the phone on loudspeaker. "This is Dr. Maura Isles. Detective Jane Rizzoli of BIS is down. Suffering from severe respiratory problems." She held her best friend up as Jane suddenly convulsed and a stream of vomit was projected onto the bedding. "Violent emeses, convulsions… Suspected poisoning." She gave her address and some more details, then watched as Jane's mouth gaped open, trying to get air.  
>Maura brought her face down and suddenly got the scent. Bitter almonds. She remembered the smell from Medical School. Why didn't she figure it out before? "Oh god." She lifted Jane's head and began to shout over the phone. "I need a Cyanokit, a crash team sent out and back up right now. This is a Code 3. 10-56. Officer in serious trouble." She finished the call and used the duvet to cover the sick on the bed.<p>

"Sweetie, I've got you," Maura's voice shook. She continued to feel the woman's pulse, then felt her deteriorate. Not again.

"Shit." The doctor panicked and pulled Jane onto the floor, the detective's body now limp, the thrashing stopped. With one hand, the frantic woman gave chest compressions, then gave steady rescue breaths. With the other, she reached out for her first aid kit under the bed. "Hold on for me, honey. Hold on just one second." Ripping the bag open, she took out the bag valve mask, for once glad of her OCD and glad she was prepared. Placing it over Jane's head, she began to pump. She continued to make compressions at Jane's chest. After a minute, she heard a splutter, then gasping, labored breaths through the mask. "Jane, listen to my voice. You stay with me, alright? Stay with me!" Jane opened her eyes briefly and held Maura's gaze looking scared. The poisoned woman's eyes soon rolled back but the she carried on breathing with loud wheezes. The doctor kept pumping the air valve with her hand, holding her fingers against her best friend's wrist with the other to check her pulse.

Soon she heard kicking against the front door. "In here!" She gave a shrill yell, trying to keep her mind clear as well as she could. It was hard. Slowly, her mind began to fog and her adrenaline levels lowered rapidly. And then Jane was taken off of her. Men and women filled in with equipment, and shots and anything they could possibly use to keep the detective alive. "Cyanokit. You need to use it. Use a Cyanokit"

"Shh," a man Maura vaguely remembered from one of the friendly softball games held her back and spoke in her ear. "They know what they're doing."

"The cyanide… it's cyanide," Maura mumbled over and over again as if that would make any difference, still being held by Jason Armitage, a detective who also worked for the Bureau of Investigation Services. Her face was now flooded with tears. This was it. Cyanide. The worse moment in her life. A 80% risk of fatality.

For once, Dr. Maura Isles didn't feel like a doctor anymore. Every single appropriate medical term left her head. Now she was just a woman whose loved one was dying and the only thing she could do was watch in sheer terror.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Okay so this one was tougher to write because my mind doesn't deal with serious situations all too well. Hopefully I did it justice. Follow me on twitter miekhead for more updates. This is the penultimate chapter and much longer.

oxoxoxoxo

It took a while for Maura to realize where she was. "Maura… we need to know how this happened." The woman blinked and looked up, noticing she was now in Korsak's arms. "Maura… can you hear me?"

She watched as they carted Jane out of the apartment, six paramedics surrounding the stretcher. Maura nodded distractedly. "I… I need to go with her."

"Shhh… in a minute," the man's voice was soothing. "Who did this, Maura?"

Maura began to panic. "I need to go to Jane, I need to be with her."

Korsak looked at Frost and sighed, shaking his head. "Maura, the sooner you answer the question, the sooner we can go to the hospital and see Jane."

"We…We got take-out."

"Where from?" Korsak shook her slightly, holding the slim woman's arms in each hand. "Maura, where from?"

"The New Lotus, Charlestown." Maura muttered with a robotic reply. She blinked and looked up at Korsak, shaking herself out of her paralysis. "Oh god…"

"I know," he soothed, rubbing her arm.

"No…no. Ohhh...shit." Maura figured it out. "Joey… the delivery boy. He's been trying to woo Jane ever since he saw her around here." Korsak turned to Frost and gave him the nod. Barry hastily got onto his phone and asked for back-up. He put out a BOLO alert on the scooter he drove as Maura helpfully gave more answers.

"And what does he look like?" Korsak asked gently, holding Maura's hands to stop them from shaking.

"Young, approximately 23. Chinese descent, short hair… spiked up with some sort of hair product," she became unfocused and whimpered suddenly. "I need to get to Jane."

Korsak looked at the panic in the ME's eyes. "Monroe, take Dr. Isles to Mass. Gen. If you hear anything else call through." The cop looked at Maura and nodded walking slowly over to her before taking her arm. "Maura, where's the food?"

Maura's ghostly eyes looked at the dining table and she pointed to the box of leftover Szechuan noodles. "Look after Bass and Joe Friday," she begged.

Korsak nodded and looked at Joe Friday sulking in her basket. Two baskets, one for each house. He frowned and watched as Maura walked away hastily to get to her friend. Sighing, he picked up the dog who knew something was seriously wrong and lay her little head on his shoulder with her own big sigh. "We're gonna get your mommy all better, I promise," he mumbled to the crossbreed who gave another huff. He had no idea what to do with the two pets. Bass was in the kitchen whilst the small mutt had no wish to leave his shoulder.

"Korsak, we gotta go." Frost stood impatiently and he nodded.

"What am I gonna do with them?"

Frost rolled his eyes. "Maura has a guest house. Just put them in there." Korsak nodded hastily and took the keys from the hook in the kitchen, before darting into the guest house and setting up Joe Friday's bed. He shut the door and locked them in, trying not to let the pitiful whines from the dog get to him.

"Let's go!" Barry was getting frustrated and pulled his co-worker with him until they reached the car.

oxoxoxoxo

Maura paced around the waiting room, back and forth, back and forth until her hand got caught. Turning around she saw and old lady holding it with a gentle clasp. "You're making my head spin, dear… come and sit down."

Maura gulped and then nodded, shuffling silently towards the elderly woman. She tried to hold in the tears at bay but her hypothalamus decided it wanted her lacrimal gland to work…and work well. She sobbed, frantically rustling through her handbag to find a tissue."I…I apologize," she quivered and wrapped summer jacket around her more firmly. "I just…" She covered her face and forced herself to let out more tears. "My best friend, my… she's in…" Maura couldn't speak anymore and fanned at her face, trying not to let the old woman's incessant petting get to her.

She looked up suddenly when she heard a thick Boston accent sound around the waiting room. Looking up she saw Angela Rizzoli begging the receptionist to see her daughter.

"She's in the ER, ma'am. If you wait over there, we'll call you over when your daughter's in recovery."

"I don't care if she's in the ER, I need to see her now." The middle-aged woman was distraught and Maura rushed up to her.

"Angela…"

Angela Rizzoli felt the tap of her back and turned to see the young woman with red-rimmed eyes. "Maura, sweetie," she gasped and cuddled the doctor close, stroking her back. The stimulation to her back and shoulders caused Maura to sob a little harder. "Maura…" Angela was concerned at the amount of crying and immediately feared the worst, pushing the woman away to look at her face.

Maura waved at her face to stop the tears. "She's… the antidote was administered quickly. I think she'll be okay." She paused. "She better be okay. I'll kill her if she's not," she frowned and blinked when Angela started to chuckle despite the tears in her eyes.

"Honey, you've been spending far too much time with that girl." She watched the doctor's blank face. "You're making jokes." the matriarch said softly and Maura brought them over to the seating area.

Maura sat down and huffed. "I've been trying to get as much information as I can, but they won't tell me a thing."  
>Angela gripped her hand hard, unable to talk anymore. The two women sat there for a long time, hoping for the best.<p>

Frank Rizzoli stormed through the doors at about 11pm, demanding to know where his daughter was.  
>Maura got up and stood in the middle of the two anxious parents to stop a fight. Before anything could kick off, a female doctor came out and spoke to them. "Are you the parents of Jane Rizzoli?"<p>

Angela stopped mid-sentence and gulped. "Yes…"

"I'm Doctor Reynolds. Would you like to come with me?"

Both Rizzolis nodded and began to follow the woman. Maura fumbled with her hands and went to sit back down. "Maura…" The young woman looked up to Angela beckoned with her finger. "Come on sweetie…"

Maura rubbed at her eyes and took the kindly woman's proffered hand, following the doctor into the counselling room. "Take a seat." Dr. Reynolds pointed at the couches and they did so, looking at the woman with unsure eyes. Maura couldn't work it out. She knew how doctors were supposed to act, quietly sympathetic. It was torture. "I have good news," the woman began and Maura felt like she was about to faint. "Jane was treated with an antidote at the scene and it took well. Unfortunately, her heart stopped but we were able to revive her and she's out of Resus.; Her stats look good, but she's still critical, alright? This is going to be a hard, long 72 hours but like I said she's doing well, she's breathing on her own."

"Oh thank god," Frank held his head in his hands and crouched over his knees.

Maura still felt the rubbery feeling in her legs and jumped suddenly when her cell rang. She apologized to the doctor and answered the call. "Isles."

"We got him," Frost's proud voice bellowed down the phone.

Maura's eyes flooded with tears. "That is so, so good to hear," her voice cracked and she looked at Angela and Frank's faces.

Frost watched as the young Chinese man was carted off into the police vehicle. "We got him just before he went into the restaurant to get the next delivery."

Maura gave a wide smile and excused herself from the room, standing heavily against the doorframe. She saw a panicked Frankie run up to her and merely pointed, opening the door to let him into the counselling room. "We're taking him in."

"Thank you," Maura whispered. "Thank you, Barry."

There was silence for a moment and Frost sighed. "How does she look?"

"I haven't seen her yet. They… they took her to the ER. Her heart stopped. They brought her back, I just…"

"Hey…" Frost heard the woman's voice crack. "She's a tough chick, you know that right?"

"I do know that," she sighed. "Tell me if you've got anything else." She hung up and hesitantly entered the room where Angela beckoned her forward as they listened to more information about the detective.

Two hours later and Angela shook her daughter's best friend awake. "Sweetie…" Maura stirred but didn't wake, curling up tighter on the uncomfortable chair. "Maura?" The middle-aged woman gave her another little shake. Maura finally blinked open her eyes, realizing she'd been hugging Angela's coat for dear life. "We can go see her now," Angela said gently.

"We…We can?" She shot up suddenly and got out her antiseptic hand cleaner, squirting a few shots of alcoholic solution on her hands.

Angela smiled and nodded. "Frank's just seen her, he's gone home now." There was sadness in her eyes. "I wanted to wait for you." Maura's eyes filled with tears and she nodded, knowing the woman was still having a hard time. "You think… you think you're with someone for the rest of your life, you bring up your family… and then it just… collapses, you know?"

The medical examiner gulped, pretending she knew how it felt. "I'm sorry."

Angela sniffed dismissively and stood up. "Let's go see her, honey." She pulled the woman's hand and they were guided by a nurse who was waiting for them. The ICU corridors were deathly quiet, and though Maura usually found solace in working in silence, knowing these people were fighting for their lives cause the blonde to shudder. She had changed. Jane had changed her and she looked at the door, gulping as she got a glimpse of her best friend through the wired mesh glass window. Angela's voice became hushed as she made her way through the unit.

Maura brought up a seat and sat next to the body in the bed. That's all it seemed to her. She tried to fight back tears and looked at the nurse. "She… She's, her skin. It's icteric and the epidermis. It's clammy." She caressed the pulse monitor attached to her friend's finger.

"Her liver took a beating," the nurse set it straight for the mother in the room. "She should be able to heal herself. She's fighting back."

Maura looked at Jane's yellow tinted face and swallowed hard, looking at the ECG monitor beeping away. A year ago, they were in the exact same place, only a different bed, and in STICU. She felt her lip quiver and held it with her top teeth as she held the limp hand . Angela stood up, hovering over her daughter, holding in an anguished sob.

"My poor baby," the elder Rizzoli bent down and kissed the detective on the forehead. Maura felt a flickering of fingers against her hand and jumped slightly, looking down at the hand trying to clench hers. She sighed and traced the woman's raised scars on her palms. "Can she breathe on her own?" Angela asked, wiping her eyes as she walked towards the door, struggling to get a handle of the situation.

"She can," the nurse nodded, "but her body needs oxygen. It's the best way for her to heal."

"And the lasting effects?" Maura was huddled close to her friend's body. "What was the exposure?"

The nurse sighed at the doctor. "The tests are still being assessed." She frowned at the woman's grief, wondering if there was more to the story. "We'll have to see how quickly she recovers. She'll need regular checkups. We'll need to see if there is any permanent damage." The nurse watched as Maura began to sob, crouching over Jane's unconscious form, resting her head on the cop's hip. "I'll give you some time alone."

Angela thanked the blonde haired woman and watched as she left before shuffling over to the hospital bed. "Maura…honey…"

"It's… It's all my fault. I should have known. I should have been able to tell." Maura looked up at the older woman, tears scorching her cheeks. "If… If I'd just figured it out quicker, if the tests came back, Jane wouldn't be here!"

"Oh sweetheart, don't say that."

"It's true," Maura hiccupped, standing up suddenly as she began to pace. "We were lazy… if we had just checked the drawer for take-out menus or… or traced down Vanessa Colt's trash, I… we could have done it. I could have done the testing myself… so I'm a little rusty, I could have done it, Angela. I could have-"

"Hey," Angela knew the medical examiner was becoming severely upset and stood up to bring her into a hug. "Listen to me, dear. You did all you could."

"I… I didn't." Maura croaked.

"Shh," Angela snapped. "To me you did. If you weren't there, my daughter would be dead by now. You saved both my babies." The Italian brushed away Maura's tears. "Oh honey…" Maura's composure disappeared and she pulled her into another hug. "You really love her, don't you?"

Maura nodded. "She's my best friend. I… I don't have friends, but she's my family." Angela let her go and watched as the doctor flopped back down onto the visitor's seat. She closed her eyes, rubbing Jane's hand with her own.

She felt a small kiss to her crown and heard Angela's voice hush behind her. "I'm getting some coffee, you want?"

Maura shook her head. "A bottle of sparkling water if you don't mind," she managed to reply and was left alone, looking down at the woman who was usually so strong, now looking small and very sick.

"Oh god, Jane…" She peered at the oxygen mask covering the majority of her friend's face. "I am so, so sorry… I… I tried. I really did, but I just didn't get there in time. I didn't get the results back, and I could have spared you of this." She closed her eyes and rested her head on Jane's thigh, rubbing the leg through her hospital gown soothing herself more than anything.

She was silent for a long while, trying not to let the sheets become drenched in her tears. "I'm sorry," she sniffed. "I… I don't think you should go out with Joey Hsu anymore." She squeezed her eyes shut, then heard a spluttering laugh. Maura's head rushed up so fast, blood drained from her head and she felt like she was about to collapse. Finally, she looked at Jane in disbelief. "Jane?"She heard a mumble and pressed her head closer to her best friend's face. "Jane?" She heard the mumble a little louder this time. "Can you talk?"

"I would never have listened to you anyway. He had hairy ears," Jane coughed and tried not to laugh. "My chest hurts."

The doctor couldn't believe this was happening. "Shhh, don't talk." She couldn't help but smile. "How are you feeling?"

Jane looked at her from within the confines of her mask. "You just told me not to talk." She knew her friend was too excited and gripped Maura's hand hard. "I feel like I've just been out on a three week bender." She looked at their linked hands. "Ew…"

"What is it?" Jane's eyes closed unconsciously as Maura stroked gently at her temple in a hypnotic fashion.

"Why am I yellow? My… my hands…"

Maura kept up with her stroking, trying to keep the woman calm. "Your liver, Jane… it's had to work very hard."

Jane thought about that and nodded. "Maur?"

"Yes sweetheart…"

Jane blinked at the casual term of endearment. "I… I don't ever want take-out again." Despite her voice being muffled by the mask, Jane's tone held the same stubbornness that Maura so loved.

"That is fine by me," Maura lifted and kissed the back of her friend's hand. "I'm beginning to notice a distinct change in my waistline anyway."

"Maura, honey… there was no sparkling water, I only found this strange kind of tonic wate-" A distracted Angela looked up to see Maura holding her daughter's hand, the detective's eyes open. She looked her daughter up and down, noticing the quiet smirk visible in the dark haired woman's eyes. "Oh Janie," Angela began to sob, finally letting out the stress this hospital visit had caused.

"I'm good, ma."

"Honey you're the color of a lemon!" Angela squawked.

"What can I say?" Jane weakly pulled the mask off. "I'm that gorgeous, people just love to try and kill me. Not my fault, it's yours. Your genes" She began to cough and Maura swiftly placed the mask back on, fitting it more firmly over her face.

"I think you should take that as a compliment," Maura's eyes glinted at the woman who had taken her in as one of her own children. "Jane, keep this on." She was handed the bottle of tonic water and unscrewed the top, taking a long gulp.

"I'm just glad you're awake to make a mockery of me," Angela shook her head, feeling strangely ecstatic to hear her daughter tease her.

"I try my best, Ma." Jane smiled, her eyes drooping. She spluttered slightly and watched Maura get up and approach the door. "Don't leave…" The cop's voice held an urgent tone and her pleading eyes caused Maura's heart to still.

"Just going to tell them you've woken up. They are going to want to do some tests," she bent down to kiss her head. "Back in a minute."

Jane nodded, feeling exhausted already. Not only that but she felt sick to her stomach. It was as if someone had planted a grapefruit into her belly, her whole abdomen sore and tender. She winced and flopped against her bed. "Ma…"

"You scared me, Janie." The only thing the detective could do was nod as she let her mother stroke her face. She had to admit it calmed her down. She felt nostalgic, remembering the countless times she'd gotten a fever and had to be soothed to sleep by her mother's lullabies. She would never admit that she remembered it to anybody though… maybe Maura.

"Where's Pop and Frankie?" Jane winced as she tried to sit up but her mother began to fuss and tucked her in tighter.

"They went home. We… well we didn't know if you were gonna wake up." Jane suddenly felt herself begin to cry. It was so random, but she was frightened and with her mother there, surprisingly she wasn't ashamed to admit it. "Hey… oh honey, it'll be okay." Angela lifted up the mask slightly to wipe away her daughter's tears.

"I feel funny," she muttered, feeling her stomach turn. "I'm scared, Ma."

"I know you are, baby." Her mother hushed. "I know…" They were interrupted suddenly by two nurses who came in and looked at them sympathetically.

"I'm afraid we're going to have to do some tests," the same nurse was joined with a taller one and they brought a tray with them. "It'll only take a few minutes."

"Maura…" Jane began to panic slightly and the doctor's heart fluttered again as the sick woman held up her hand, decorated with an IV catheter. "Stay…"

"I'll be right outside. Promise." She promised and left with Mrs. Rizzoli who gave a light hearted wave.

Maura suddenly felt herself swept up in a strong hug. "She's awake."

The M.E nodded, trying not to let her body tense. "She is… She's strong."

Angela excitedly got onto her phone and spoke to Frankie who in turn told his mother he'd pass the news on to his father. Angela's heart ached, wishing she could just ring her ex-husband herself. Logic won though, and the matriarch was forced to remember the hard times being married to the plumber.

"Isles," Maura picked up the phone.

Korsak heard the woman sound a bit chirpier and hoped it was good news. "How is she?"

"Awake," Maura beamed, sharing a look with Angela. "She's telling jokes."

"Typical," Vince chuckled. "The whole precinct is wide awake with fear and she's telling jokes." He sighed. "What's the damage?"

"We don't know yet," Maura sighed in admittance. "They're currently doing some tests but she's suffering from jaundice and has a lot of abdominal pain. There's labored breathing and they have her on oxygen."

"Shit," he looked at the paper in his hand. "By the way, they tested the food. He was using cyanogenic glycosides."

Maura frowned. "You mean from plants? Wh… Vince, that doesn't make sense. That type of cyanide only comes in small quantities."

Korsak looked around Joey Hsu's apartment and growled slightly. "Maura, he knew what he was doing." The man looked at the various jars that forensics had began to take away as evidence. "Jars of appleseeds, raw cassava roots, bitter almonds… apricot pits. He had an industrial grinder here, they've just wrapped it up."

"Oh my…god, are you serious?"

Korsak nodded and murmured in affirmation. "So he'd grind as much shit as he could, sprinkle lots into the meals aimed for his vics and there we have it." He watched as Frost scrolled down on his iPad. "Well what do you know…"

"What is it?" Maura still couldn't believe what she was hearing. How had it been that easy for him? How hadn't both Vanessa and Jane realized when they ate their meals?

"Alex Lu… Mother's maiden name, Margaret Hsu."

Maura backed up against the wall and looked up at the ceiling with a groan. "They were related?"

Korsak sighed. "Yep… Cousins. And he wasn't in the radar because he was just a damn delivery boy… Maura, how many times did Joey ask Jane out?"

Maura shuffled her feet nervously. "I… Well I never really noticed until about three weeks ago."

"And she kept turning him down." Korsak asked, trying to get more of the story.

"Yes. I said she should have gone for it," she sat down at a row of chairs in the corridors.

Korsak cringed, not wanting to ask the next question. "Maura, were you there each time?"

"I… I think so?" The medical examiner was confused at the questioning. "We spend a lot of time together."

The man now groaned, not wanting to beat around the bush. "Do you think Joey could have mistaken the two of you for a lesbian couple?"

Maura's mouth tried to move. "You think he was targeting lesbians?" She jumped the question then realized it probably sounded worse than it would have done if she'd just answered.

"It's a possibility. He won't talk, but it's obvious he was infatuated with both Jane and Vanessa." Korsak said, then heard the silence. "Or it could have been a coincidence, I mean everybody knows you two are just friends."

"Right," Maura gave a shrill laugh that ended with an accidental snort, causing Angela to look up with a bemused grin. She cleared her throat and watched as the nurses came back out. "Vince, I have to go, they've finished Jane's examination."

"Okay… let us know how things go." Maura nodded with a grunt and hung up, looking at the nurses as she fumbled to put her phone away.

"Another half an hour and I'm afraid you're going to have to leave." The taller nurse said gently and both women nodded, walking into the unit to see Jane shifting in her bed.

"That…. Was the most horrifying experience of my life." Jane grumbled and stared at Maura in shock.

The doctor rolled her eyes. "It couldn't have been that bad."

Jane grumbled under her mask. "They checked me…. Down there…" She pointed towards her lower half and Angela did all she could to hold in a laugh.

"They need to check for bleeding, Jane." Maura gave a crooked smile.

Jane crossed her arms and huffed, or tried to before she reeled back in pain and attempted to keep in her coughing fit. "My chest… feels like it's bruised."

Maura sat down, trying not to let the tears flood her eyes. "Honey your heart stopped. I did what I could when you collapsed, and they did what they had to when they got here."

"My heart stopped?" Jane looked down to see Maura fiddling with the pulse monitor on her finger. She watched the doctor nod solemnly. "Shit…"

"But you're fine now, Janie…" Angela said with a panicked tone, trying not to stress her daughter out. "Right Maura? She's gonna be fine."

Maura smiled for the first time in a long while and gave Jane a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Of course you are. No doubt."

The women chatted for a while before Maura looked at Angela, realizing her time was running out. "Could you give us a minute?"

Angela frowned but saw the seriousness in her daughter's friends eyes and nodded, quickly excusing herself from the cubicle. Maura shuffled up a bit until she held Jane's hand once more. "I'm so, so sorry."

"For what?" The muffled reply came as the yellow-tinted woman stared at her friend.

"It was my fault. I should have been more efficient, more alert, I-"

"Maura," Jane whined, quickly taking off her mask. "Did you put cyanide in my food?"

"No…" Maura pouted. She bowed her head, looking up with sad eyes as Jane felt out of breath and Maura shifted the mask back on.

"Well then," the detective smiled. "Look, you saved my life. You're my best friend… how can I be annoyed at you?"

"I could have solved the case quicker." Maura's grouching always made her friend smile.

"And if we hadn't been together tonight, I would have died alone." Jane said gently, her eyes twinkling. Despite the mask covering her face, Maura heard everything perfectly.

Maura felt more tears fill her eyes and looked at their interlaced hands. She took a deep breath, thinking about what the woman had just said. "Move in with me."

Jane blinked and peered a little closer. "Uhmm… Either these drugs they're pumping into me are making my brain do kooky things or I just heard right. Did you just ask me to-"

"Move in with me… yes." Maura looked up. "We li… Jane, we live in a dangerous world. Twice now, you nearly died in the space of a year. We're best friends, I have a basket for Joe Friday in my living room for crying out loud." She looked at the glazed eyes, stroking the woman's scars on her hands, as if that made the blemishes any better. Jane was speechless, literally. She just stared at the blonde in front of her, so Maura carried on talking. "You're right, you know? You could have died, on your own… and I can't have that on my conscience. It's a two bedroom house. You could even have the guest house if you wanted, your mother's out of there now-"

"Yes," Jane stopped her.

"Really?" Maura's nose crinkled with a hesitant smile, her shoulders still shuddering from the emotional turmoil.  
>Jane shrugged, then winced again and looked at Maura's face.<p>

"Sure… That way I know you're safe too." Their held gaze went on for longer than both of them were comfortable with and Jane was the first to look away.

"I better go," Maura said with an excited smile. "I'll be back tomorrow after I get some sleep."

"You don't have to do that," Jane's voice softened. Maura shrugged modestly and got up. Cheeky eyes peeked over the oxygen mask as the detective managed to tap the side of her face. Maura chuckled and bent down to move the straps before she gave Jane's cheek a soft kiss and waved goodbye.

"Hey…" Jane's voice croaked.

"Yes, Jane?" Maura twirled and looked at the dark haired woman.

"See you tomorrow… roomie." The detective chortled happily. Maura shook her head with an adoring grin and left the room, knowing that this, though scary, was a turning point in her life at Boston Police Department.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Okay folks, this is the last installment of the story. It may seem incomplete, but there will be another 'episode' out in a few days, and the story will follow on from there.

**Update:** I've changed it back to incomplete as I have had a complaint about it being a WIP series. While I understand where they are coming from, this was treated as an episode. However to keep people happy, I want to stress that this is a series, the next episode is being written, and only briefly mentions this 'episode' itself.

Enjoy. Reviews and alerts of course are welcome and happily gobbled up. I do not own Rizzoli and Isles, I wish I did... or at least one of them, but such is life.

oxoxoxoxoxo

When Maura returned home she was aware of howling coming from the guest house. She frowned, then remembered the text from Korsak and rushed to the front door. Joe Friday bounded out, then circled the woman's legs and scrabbled to be picked up. Maura sighed and lifted the desperate mutt up, surprised when the dog whined and lay her head on her shoulder. Strange. Joe had never done that at all - it was as if she knew something had happened to the detective. But that was utterly ridiculous. Though she knew the canis lupus familiaris were a perceptive species, it was usually when the owner, or master showed signs of upset and distress. Right? Jane wasn't here… Dogs weren't that sensitive, were they? She realized she had started crying again, then remembered another thing. In Maura's blurry recollection of the horrific attempted murder, Joe Friday would have seen it all. She looked to see Bass tucking into a strawberry from a pile that Korsak must have put there before he left. She shuddered slightly, crying into Joe Friday's fur before shutting the door, leaving the tortoise to himself.

When she entered the house she noticed the place was immaculate, tidier than she had left it. Evidence had been gathered in the time she had been at the hospital and the house was left alone. Growing up as an only child she'd learned to be on her own, but now she was lonely and that scared her. She made a beeline for the 'spare' bedroom. Jane's bedroom. Putting Joe Friday onto the bed, she walked into her own bedroom where she opened her wardrobe. She grinned at the sweatpants dangling crookedly from a clothes hook and rolled her eyes. The rest of the closet was immaculate. Chuckling, Maura pulled the pants out and hastily undressed before putting them on. Her eyes caught Jane's Red Sox tee and she picked it up. She brought it to her face, smelling the scent of her friend's deodorant still on it. Realizing what she had just done, she snorted in disbelief at herself before shrugging on the oversized shirt. Padding back into her… Jane's bedroom… Her spare room. She corrected herself and gave a pained groan before slipping into bed. "Joe Friday… come here…" Maura tapped the other pillow and watched the wheaten colored dog hesitate slightly, then crawl up the bed. She snuggled down on the other pillow, making a little nest out of the cotton covered feathers. Remembering to set her alarm, the woman curled up, feeling ridiculous in the clothes but not wanting anything less.

When she got up the next morning, she found a text on her cell having slept straight through it. 6am.

_I'm bored. _Maua shook her head with a laugh and typed a reply.

'Do some puzzles.'

The reply from her best friend was quicker than she had expected. _Puzzles = boring. _

The medical examiner let out a laugh before she stretched, feeling achy from sleeping in the waiting room most of the night before. After a long shower, Maura finally managed to bring herself into work and she was greeted to the belated test results of Vanessa Colt. There it was. Cyanogenic glycosides. Amygdalin. 900mg. "Fuck!" She growled and looked up at a small splutter at the door.

"Swearing now, Dr. Isles?" Cavanaugh smirked as he wondered in her office unannounced.

"What do you want?"

To this, he raised his eyebrows and held up his hands. "Hey, hey… Just wanted to know how my No. 1 pain in the ass is. What's the update?"

Maura sighed and leaned back in her chair, rubbing her tired eyes. "She's been asleep since about 6.40." The medical examiner had panicked about the lack of texting back and phoned Angela who was already at the hospital. "They say they've upped the oxygen intake and if I'm honest, I think she's still critical."

Sean shook his head, clearly unhappy with this. "How does she look?"

"Yellow." Maura answered swiftly. "Extremely jaundice, her breathing's labored." She was fiddling with her hands and gave a gentle smile as soon as she noticed, remembering her father and Jane's quirks when they were anxious. "I think she'll pull through." A look shadowed Cavanaugh's face and she couldn't work it out. She usually could, but he hid his emotions well. Shrugging it off, she looked into the man's eyes. "I'm going to finish off the reports. I've finished the autopsy. Second results are back. My work here is done and I'd appreciate it if I could go to the hospital."

The lieutenant shrugged and held up his hands once more. "By my guest. Tell us how she is." She nodded, still irked from the strange glance and watched him leave.

The next three hours were torture. Maura was constantly bombarded with well-wishers and members of staff anxious to know how the female detective was. Eventually she had had enough and fled the building. She felt unnerved for some reason and approached Jane's unit after signing in.

Maura peeked into the window of the room where Jane was. She saw her eyes still closed. "Maura…"

Whirling round she saw Angela who looked slightly anxious. "Hey…" She paused, "you okay? How's she doing?"

The older woman grumbled, "Still sleeping… That's normal right?" She tried to hand the medical examiner a packet of chips but the woman declined politely with a wave of the hand.

"Somewhat," Maura nodded and they entered. Angela noticed Maura immediately take her daughter's hand in her own. "She's just recovering… That chat last night probably took a lot out of her."

Angela gulped and nodded, watching the young woman caressing Jane's wrist. "She'll wake up, won't she?"

Maura watched the patient's eyes flicker slightly. "Course she will… she's already being fed… everything's taken care of."

The mother nodded again and looked at her daughter. "She told me she was scared last night… Her eyes, so, I dunno she looked so tiny… Made me think of when she was six… Little scrap."

Maura wiped a tear away with her free hand. "What did she do?"

"Dislocated her shoulder falling out of a tree." Angela huffed. "Frank was at work and she was screaming and screaming… He had the car so I had to take her on the bus to the ER."

"The bus?" Maura gasped.

"What, you think I could afford a cab?" Angela tutted. "She was so brave… she just sat there and scowled until we got to the hospital and the doctor came in. Looked so scared." She shook her head and felt her voice start to break.

Maura wished she'd known the young Rizzoli. She couldn't have imagined being friends with her, but she began to make up little daydreams of stealing cab fare from her mother's purse to help her friend. Shaking her head to rid the ridiculous scenarios, she looked at the frightened woman. "She'll be okay. I have faith in her."

Angela nodded and they turned their heads to see Frank holding a small teddy bear. "You brought Mr. Horace!" She exclaimed, though unable to look into her ex-husband's eyes.

Frank shrugged. "Thought she'll appreciate it when she wakes up."

"I thought you would have sold it in the yard sale," Angela scowled with a touch of bitterness.

His eyes flashed slightly when he looked at Maura's fascinated face and approached the bed. "Come on, Angie…" Frank peered at Angela with almost begging eyes. "I could never get rid of Mr. Horace." He handed it to Maura who looked over at the scruffy looking plush.

"This… this is quite disgusting." She wrinkled her nose at the teddy, its fur matted and bobbled.

Frank gave a mock gasp. "You tell that to Jane and she'll dump your ass quicker than you could say his name."

Maura frowned a little at the statement and turned her head towards the bed. "Here, Jane… Your childhood bear is the last thing that belongs in the hospital… but there you go." She slipped Mr. Horace into the bed so that he rested against her limp arm.

"She won't be happy with you either," Angela complained to the man. "Revealing your daughter's secret little friend to Maura here?"

Maura tittered. "I think it's adorable."

"You would," Angela snorted and saw the vague, slightly confused look on the medical examiner's face. She sighed and turned back to Jane whose hand suddenly curled around the bear.

Each person thought their hearts were going to melt and they watched in silence as Jane made herself more comfortable. Or as comfortable as she could get with the numerous tubes sticking out of her body.

"I'm gonna go," Angela said suddenly, feeling more and more uncomfortable as the silence went on. Maura nodded and turned her head for the kiss on her cheek. Ruffling the younger woman's hair slightly Angela stood and looked down her. "Get some sleep, sweetie."

Maura nodded and curled up in her seat as she watched her friend's mother leave. She made small talk with Frank until he too left and she was asked to leave.

"Please," Maura didn't want to beg but she was coming close to it. "Let me stay."

"I'm sorry," the nurse was apologetic. "Only next of kin allowed."

Maura huffed and sat back in her chair. "Just another ten minutes…"

Nurse Gilbert looked at her watch and groaned. The young woman had been at the side of this bed for hours. "Ten minutes… then I'm afraid you're going to have to leave."

Maura gulped and nodded, watching as the nurse disappeared for another few moments. She looked at the Jane's face… her arms and chest, rising and falling gently as she hugged the teddy bear for dear life. The doctor blinked and looked up at the nurse who was waiting impatiently with her hand on her hips. "I…"

"Sorry, Dr. Isles. You're gonna have to leave."

"Another ten minut-"

"Honey, you've been sat here for five hours now. Go home."

Maura rubbed at her eyes, realizing she'd been staring for a long time without blinking. She looked at the dark haired woman in the bed. "I already am," she whispered, her throat tightening as she tried to hold back the tears. Tracy Gilbert nodded slightly, seeing the grief in the woman's eyes.

"She'd be angry with you if she knew you were here this whole time, huh?"

Maura swallowed and had to admit the truth with a nod. "She would."

"Then you better do as I ask, cause when she wakes up, it's the first thing I'll tell her," Tracy's eyes glinted and was pleased to hear the hesitant chuckle from the blonde's mouth.

Maura gave a hard exhale and walked over to the other side of the bed. She peeled back some of Jane's hair away from her face, then pulled the straps of her oxygen mask away. Maura bent down, giving her temple long kiss and only pulled back when she heard the small clear of the throat behind her.  
>"I'll be back tomorrow," she rubbed the now clammy spot with her thumb and looked at the scruffy teddy with a smile before she turned her back and left.<p>

xoxoxox

Three days later and Jane still hadn't woken up. Despite breathing on her own, doctors were now becoming concerned with their patient who was responding well to stimuli, still had no wish to wake up. Maura was beginning to unravel. They'd got closure - Joey Hsu had confessed and it was now out of Homicide's hands. Still, Maura was struggling and she looked down at the hand in hers. "Jane…" She tried not to let the limp grip get to her, but it did. "You need to wake up." The was silence, just the beeping of the ECG and the whirring of the stream of oxygen running into the mask. Maura felt the tears come and she squeezed her eyes shut to let them fall. "I… I'm running out of ideas." swallowing, she continued with a confession. "I even prayed." She laughed bitterly at herself. "I may.. .I may know a lot about religion…about cultures and wonderful myths and legends, Jane… But I suck at praying." She brought her face close. "W-We miss you. Everybody misses you." She held in a sob and looked down at the teddy still tucked in bed. "Mr. Horace misses you too." Her hand caressed Jane's knee as she lay her head on the bed with a distraught gasping breath. "Please wake up." She cried. "Please… I need you to wake up." There was silence for a very long time. "I love you… Wake up." Silence still and the sobs turned to small blubbers as the doctor tried to calm herself down. She jumped suddenly when she felt fingers on her head, then a palm. Looking up, she saw Jane staring at her groggily. "Jane?"

"Yeah…" The brunette croaked. "We have to stop meeting like this."

"You… You're awake." Maura blinked and sat up. "You're awake!"

Jane groaned when she found herself hugged tightly. "I am," she purred, "But I won't be for long if you hug me like that." Her friend apologized hastily and peered at her with adoration. "What's going on?"

Maura plopped back down on her seat and shook her head in disbelief. "I… Jane, you've been under for four days."

"Four days?" She saw Maura nod, the blonde's lip quivering. "Fuck…" She tried to smile. "That sudoku really knocked me out, huh?"

Maura growled suddenly. "Oooh… I could just… slap you."

Jane was finally able to lift her arm and she pointed to herself. "What did I do?"

"This is not funny!" Maura tried to keep the smile off her face when she saw Jane's eyebrows waggling. "Jane!"

"What? Seriously, Maur… you're making me dizzy with all this flapping." She pushed herself up slightly and got more comfy, until, "What the hell?" Maura's eyes darted down to the teddy sat snugly in her bed. "Is this what I think it is?"

"Mr. Horace is the correct term," Maura finally calmed down and she grinned.

"Oh jeez," Jane rolled her eyes, collapsing further into the hospital bed. "I can't believe this."

"I can't believe it either," Maura whispered and Jane knew her friend was talking about something totally different. "I'm going to tell them you're awake."

"Wait, c'mere…" Jane pulled the woman's hand so that Maura practically landed on the bed. She lifted her arms, trying not to wince at the straining in her unused muscles and slowly plucked Maura's tears off her cheeks with her thumb. "There… Don't want your makeup to run."

Maura sniffed, her friend's sarcastic tone going unnoticed. "Thank you." She smoothed her own thumb over her friend's puckered brow and hesitantly lifted the oxygen mask before giving Jane a gentle kiss on the lips. She pulled away slowly and pressed the mask back on her face.

Jane blinked and watched the medical examiner practically skip out of the room. 'Oookay…' She shuffled a little uncomfortably and looked at the bear in her bed with a bemused grin. It was a friendly kiss. Right? "Right," she pulled the teddy out from under the covers and peered at his old, torn ear.

She never would let Angela sew it up. It was a 'battle wound'. She looked at his worn face and knew that the mere fact he was in her hospital bed meant her family had been worried. And from the kiss Jane had just received, so had Maura.

When Maura had come back with the nurse, Jane was looking angry and glared at the two women incredulously. "I have a piss bag?" Maura tried to hold in a giggle. "Maura," Jane warned. "Are you freaking serious?"

"Detective Rizzoli, you were unconscious for four days…where else was it going to go?" The nurse sighed. Jane eyed the suspicious looking bag next to her bed with a pout.

"You also have a nasogastric tube." Maura supplied helpfully but was given a glare.

"And that means?" Jane asked, then worked it out for herself, feeling her face, the tube taped onto her cheek. How had she not noticed before? "Oh you are kidding me."

Maura saw her friend become agitated and sat down next to the bed, holding Jane's hand. "You were poisoned, honey… you were asleep for a very long time and they needed to feed you." She watched as tears filled the cop's eyes and Maura leaned closer. "Hey… hey, you're alright."

"I'm not," Jane replied, her voice muffled.

"You are," Maura smiled and gave her friend a squeeze of the hand. "You remember what I asked you before you went to sleep that night? After the sudoku tried to kill you?"

"To move in with you," Jane's whisper was barely heard but Maura nodded.

"Right," the blonde nodded, trying to keep her friend calm as the nurse examined her. "And I meant it."

Jane nodded, letting the streamed air against her lower face calm her. A doctor approached and took hold of the woman's chart at the end of her bed. "If you'll just wait outside for a few minutes, I need to check Jane's reflexes."

Maura nodded and attempted to release herself from the detective's grasp but Jane just held her tighter. "Honey… five minutes. I'll be right back." Jane sighed and slowly released the fingers wrapped around her friend's palm. "Let me call your mom and dad."

Jane gulped and watched the blonde leave the room.

Two hours later, Jane was settled, calm and relaxed albeit a little tired from her family's coddling, Maura began to recount the situation regarding Joey Hsu. The detective squirmed in her bed, the ward she was transferred to much louder than ICU. "He confessed, Jane. But he umm."

"What?" Jane sat up.

Maura's eyes were low and she looked at the slightly older woman with sadness in her eyes. "He had another run. There was another delivery in the back of his scooter before he got to the restaurant. After he got to us."

"M-Maura, no…" Jane shook her head. "No…"

The doctor nodded slowly. "I did the autopsy today. A young woman, named Gina Faldi. She was in her apartment in East Cambridge with her wife. Their son was in bed, so they ordered take-out. Same symptoms… Higher dose. Amazing how quick you can find something once you know what you're looking for."

It was then that Jane cried.

And Maura watched, finding it hard to keep her own composure. Jane ripped the mask off her face and sobbed into her hands with a howl. "Jane… put your mask on."

"Fuck the mask!" the detective wailed. "I can breathe, I'm fine… and two other women aren't." Maura sighed and slipped into the bed, kicking her pumps off.

"Shhh, I've got you," Maura was careful as she wrapped her arms around her friend and let Jane cry into her shoulder.

"Maura…"

"I know," the doctor hugged her close, frowning when she felt tears soak her blouse. "Hey…" She pulled away and looked at Jane, whose eyes were now red and swollen. "We're gonna be okay. I promise."

"I can't do my sudoku." Jane murmured a while after she had settled down.

Maura smiled. "You want me to help?" The pouty brunette nodded. "How's your chest."

"Fine," Jane nodded. "No tightness."

The M.E gave a thin-lipped smile. "Good." She got out the puzzle book and dragged the tray over, smiling again when she felt Jane snuggle against her front. "Which bit are you stuck on?"

"The four." The cop grumbled and grabbed her pencil.

"Four… it's in the wrong place," Maura shrugged. "There… try that now…" She erased the digit, then filled the correct box in and watched as Jane filled in her puzzle, humming slightly as she did so.

"Less boring when you're here," the detective said shyly.

"Really?" Maura's nose wrinkled in happiness.

"Sure…"

"You just like me here cause I tell you the answers," the blonde figured it out.

"Yup," Jane chortled and grinned as she finished the puzzle. She turned her head with wide eyes when she heard Maura's belly gurgling loudly. "You hungry?"

"I haven't eaten in six hours," the medical detective sighed.

"Hmm," Jane leaned over and held the drainage bag from the drip stand. "You want some?"

Maura turned slightly green and shook her head frantically. "No thank you." Jane just chuckled. "Very kind of you to ask though." She smiled at the sound of the cop's giggling, no matter how childish it was.

Jane patted her friend's thigh. "Go… get some food… I'll just sit here all alone with my greyish-brown mush." Maura shook her head and eased out of the bed, getting her purse and fitting her shoes back on. "You know what I want right now?"

"A burger?"

"A Dirty Robber burger." Jane nodded in agreement.

Maura sighed and looked at the woman, now cheeky and less yellow. "My mother is still whining about how greasy those things are."

"Get me a beer, too?" Jane grinned.

Maura gave an exasperated groan. "I think I preferred you asleep. At least you stayed quiet." She left the cubicle, trying not to let the excitable chortle warm her heart.

When Maura came back, she wasn't let into her best friend's cubicle. Immediately filled with panic, she ripped open the curtain to see Jane sitting patiently as her nurse prepared to take the feeding tube out, nodding as she listened to the advice. "Ma'am, please stand behind the partition," the nurse looked at her sternly and she nodded, forcing her legs to work. She walked towards the end of the ward where she sat down on a chair and tried to collect her thoughts.

This wasn't normal… was it? Caring this much about your best friend. She didn't know how having a best friend was supposed to feel, despite having known Jane for nearly three years. The panic she had felt when the curtains were closed hurt her chest and she looked at the neon lights of the ward ceiling with a sigh. In love… was that the right phrase? She didn't know… She didn't even know if she wanted to sleep with Jane. All she knew was that touching the woman's lips with her own, despite the feeding tube in the way felt good. Would she take it further? Probably if she was drunk…

She also knew though, that she wanted to feel Jane's mouth on hers again. She would prefer if Jane used a little chapstick, though she supposed it wasn't the detective's fault she had cracked lips. That was caused by the four days of sleep. Confused, the blonde stood up and made her way towards the woman's bed where finally, the curtain was pulled back and Jane was blowing her nose into a tissue. "Eww…"

"Feel weird?" Maura sat down and was given a warning glance by the head nurse.

"One hour, then you're leaving."

Maura sighed but agreed and placed her hand on the cop's knee. "How does it feel?"

"Itchy… like I'm gonna..." Jane's nose twitched and gasped before letting out a sneeze. She cringed as she looked at the tissue covered in mucus and blood. She was embarrassed and Maura gave her a reassuring pat. "This is torturous."

Maura rested her head on her hand and gazed at her friend. "At least your mask is off. And the tube. You'll be able to come home in a few days. Good as new."

"I still have a piss bag." Jane whined. "A piss bag, Maur…"

"Urinary catheterization." Maura corrected her with a smile.

"Why are you grinning like some Cheshire cat?" Jane was enraged. "There is a tube in my… pee hole!"

"Would you rather get up and go to the bathroom?"

Jane grumbled and hugged Mr. Horace close. "I wanna feel like a human being again."

The medical examiner immediately felt bad. She looked at her friend and held her hand. "Soon… you'll feel normal again soon." She saw Jane's eyes fluttering. "You tired?" Jane hugged her teddy and nodded. "Alright… I'm going." She stood up and hovered over the bed. "Suppose I better feed your dog."

Jane's eyes blinked open rapidly and she chuckled. "How is she?"

"Missing you," Maura said, her eyes twinkling. Jane scoffed. "Really, Jane… her sense of perception is particularly amazing. She knows you're not there, and she doesn't like it."

The other woman listened to that and tried to keep the proud smile off her face. "See you tomorrow?" She asked hopefully.

"I'll be back before you know it." Maura stretched as she stood and bent down. She stared motionless when Jane puckered her lips slightly. Gazing down, she watched Jane's daring eyes and closed the distance, again, giving a sensitive yet chaste kiss on the brunette's lips. "Sleep well."

"I will," Jane blinked, feeling high as a kite as she snuggled down in her bed. Maura saw the school-boy like grin and rolled her eyes before leaving the ward, the hospital with a curious smile on her face.

The End... for now.


	5. Link to next story

Here's the link for the first chapter to the new story, 'When The Bough Breaks,' just in case people didn't catch it. Enjoy. Just copy and paste this link onto the end of .

/s/7302526/1/When_The_Bough_Breaks


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